Four steps.
No surprises.
Every engagement follows the same four-step methodology. The details change by tier. The discipline doesn't.
There are two ways to build software: make it up as you go, or follow a process that's been refined across dozens of projects. The Sage Ideas methodology exists because we've seen what happens without it — and we've seen what becomes possible with it.
Discover
Define the problem before designing the solution.
Before any code is written, we map the problem space. What are the business outcomes? What does success look like in 30 days, 90 days, 12 months? What are the constraints — technical, budget, timeline, organizational?
No engagement proceeds to Architect without a signed scope document.
Duration: 1–3 days depending on engagement size
Deliverables
Audit
Asset inventory + assessment framework
Ship / Automate
Scope document + tech stack confirmation
Build
Architecture brief + data model draft + integration map
Operate
Technical health assessment + 90-day priority stack
Architect
Design the system before you build it.
Architecture decisions are the most expensive mistakes to fix retroactively. We design before we code. The architecture review is the last checkpoint where scope changes are inexpensive. After this, we're building.
Duration: 1–5 days depending on complexity
Deliverables
System design
Component diagram, data flow, external dependencies
Database schema
Entity-relationship model, RLS policy map
API contracts
Endpoints, request/response shapes, auth patterns
Stack confirmation
Frameworks, services, deployment targets
Risk register
What could go wrong, mitigation plan
Build
Production-grade from the first commit.
We don't build prototypes and then rebuild them as production systems. We build production systems from the first line of code — typed, tested, and CI-gated.
Duration: Varies by tier (2 weeks → 12 weeks)
Deliverables
TypeScript strict mode
No implicit any, no unchecked returns
CI/CD active from day one
No "add tests later" — gates run on every PR
Test coverage minimum
Unit tests for all business logic, integration tests for all API endpoints
Code review
All PRs reviewed against architecture spec
Progress updates
Weekly async written summary + available for sync call
Open development
Access to the development branch throughout — no black-box development
Operate
Ship, then stand behind it.
Every engagement ends with production deployment, documentation, and a defined handoff. We don't ship and disappear. For ongoing Scale, Operate, and Care retainers (Site Care, Brand Care, Content Care), this step is a continuous loop — monthly deliverables, monthly health reports, continuous improvement.
Duration: Ongoing for Scale, Operate, and Care retainers
Deliverables
Production deployment
Deployed to your infrastructure
Environment docs
Configuration documentation for every environment
Runbook
Common failure modes and resolution steps
30-day bug warranty
Defects only, not new features
Handoff call
Walkthrough + Q&A
Optional Care retainer
Site, Brand, or Content Care to keep momentum
What you can expect.
Predictable, documented communication. No chasing updates. No wondering where your project is.
Weekly progress updates
Written async summary every week — what shipped, what's next, any decisions needed from you.
Async via Slack or Linear
Day-to-day communication happens async. You have visibility into the work without needing to manage it.
No ghost mode
If something changes, I tell you immediately. Surprises only happen when people don't communicate — we communicate.